Declawing Cats

[deoxys121]

This thread is basically for debating whether or not it is humane to declaw cats. According to this page, when a cat is declawed, they actually remove part or all of their last toe bones. It is also very risky, with risk of infection and possible temporary or permanent paralysis in their front leg(s).

Personally, I would never have a cat declawed. They go through too much pain and suffering for me to find it acceptable. I love animals, so I never want to have them harmed in any way.

What are your opinions on this?

 

[Mr. X]

The only people who declaw a cat are those who are to lazy to properly trim the cat's nails.

As for the last toe part, I can't remember what animal it is (Either dogs or cats) but its actully recommended to remove one of the toes for some reason.

 

[Steven]

I would never get my cat declawed!

People always ask me why in real life. My cat likes to play, it plays like a dog. I play with it all the time and I get scratched sometimes (although it happens less and less often as my cat is realizing that I get scratched easier than other cats) .

I think it's cruel. I don't even trim my cat's nails, he scratches his post-thing a lot so they're dull most the time anyways.

And we try to limit vet visits as my cat is so scared of cars that he fills the carrier with diarrhea, so if we weren't against it that would be a major factor in not doing it. And yes..we've tried bigger carriers and no carriers. :[ Poor kitty

 

[moments.]

If they are justifying removing their claws because of damage they do to humans, or other animals or whatever, it is a ridiculously flimsy reason... Animals are great at adapting, and if you take away one method of defence, they will simply use their others. Cats have sharp teeth and teeth are going to do more damage than claws in most cases.

Not only is it cruel and unnecessary, but surely it won't even be effective, unless there is some other reason for doing so?

 

[G-Virus]

Personally, I think people who declaw their cats are stupid in that sense. No offense to anyone who does though, but really, you're basically taking away one of their defensive weapons and climbing tools, that's not going to survive when they go out/if :/.

 

[2Cool4Mewtwo]

This is just plain dumb and ridiculous. I'd rather not have a cat if it's going to be scratching stuff all over the house. It's called common sense.

 

[Sydian]

Well here I am, I'll be the "stupid inhumane" person of the group. Now, I wouldn't declaw a cat unless the claws were becoming a major problem. I don't let my cats go outside and I've always had scratching posts for my cats, or they knew better than to scratch furniture. And I never had issues with them scratching me or anything. But yeah, if the claws were becoming a major problem because of furniture damage, or say if I had small children and the cat was aggressive for whatever reason and couldn't be in an environment with kids, then yes, I will get the cat declawed. "Survival" shouldn't have to be a big issue because like I said, I don't let my cats outside, and it's not too terribly difficult to keep them in. But under certain circumstances, I would get a cat declawed. Just note, that is not my first option. There's always the spray bottle or something for when a cat is scratching what it doesn't need to scratch, teaching it to use scratching posts, clipping them (which I have never really had luck with!), and hell, there are even those little rubber things you can put on their claws now. Declawing would be my last resort. /prepared to have my butt flamed :)

 

[Deerling]

As far as I'm concerned, declawing a cat is like cutting the tail or ears of a dog just to make a humans life more pleasant whilst the animal itself is mutilated. I would never declaw my cats since I know the proper way of looking after them so I have no excuse (or desire). However, ignorance is no excuse either! People should know how to look after an animal before even getting it so they KNOW what to expect and the consequences to some of their actions as owners. One of my two cats is an outdoor cat. She needs her claws to climb trees, over fences and defend herself if another animal or human tries to harm her whilst outside. To take that away from her would leave her to many dangerous in this world and as her owner, I'd rather she was safe and able to fight back/escape if needed. Simple.

Don't let her outside? Don't be so cruel! If an animal wants to be outside then you should let it. It's like keeping a horse inside a stable rather than letting it feel some sort of freedom. Just no. My cat has done nothing wrong for that sort of punishment. And even if she had plenty of room to play, as children, did we not get bored of being in the house all the time? Yes? Point proven.

As for indoor cats, that's even worse. You'd have all the time in the world to trim their claws without even having to go out and look for them.

 

[Rogue planet]

@ Sydian: if you've ever got a cat that's aggressive to kids I think you need to send it to a new home. xD

No I would never declaw a cat. It's not natural and almost unheard of in this country. I think I remember reading somewhere that I'd have a hard time finding a vet that's willing to do so anyway. I wouldn't get an aggressive cat to begin with, and I don't love furniture so much that I'm going to declaw my cat. My cats go outside a lot and they definitely need their claws. They do scratch on the chairs, but every chair in this house is old and broken anyway lmao.

 

[Oryx]

I can't stand declawing. Of course all the point above, plus the matter of no matter how hard you try to have indoor cats, cats can get out. My cat is 12 and has gotten out a few times. When I was younger we had many, many more cats and of those a few did get out as well. We always caught them, but if they had been caught by another cat first with no claws to defend themselves with...we saw how that worked out when we brought our cat into the home of a declawed cat and his cattery stud instincts kicked in, causing him to attack the other cat. The other cat had literally no means of defense, it was terrible.

Taking care of a cat's nails isn't that big a deal. If you can't do that, then take it to a groomer. It's not like a dogs nails where they generally wear down because they're always out and tapping on the ground; if you don't take care of a cat's nails, the nails will curl around and grow into their pawpad. Declawing is an excuse for lazy owners who don't want to bother taking care of their cats, so they cause the cat unnecessary pain and possible complications in the future to ease their own laziness. If you can't afford a groomer and can't figure out how to trim a cat's claws, then you don't deserve a cat.

 

[Sydian]

Don't let her outside? Don't be so cruel! If an animal wants to be outside then you should let it. It's like keeping a horse inside a stable rather than letting it feel some sort of freedom. Just no. My cat has done nothing wrong for that sort of punishment. And even if she had plenty of room to play, as children, did we not get bored of being in the house all the time? Yes? Point proven.

I don't want it running away like every other outdoor cat I've had. I'm fine with the cat coming outside with me if I'm watching it. But I'm not letting my cat go out unattended, by any means. It's like a kid. Just don't want it getting into things it doesn't need to get into. I've taken my cat outside with me on the back deck for a nice cuddle. So I'm not being cruel and keeping him inside forever.

@ Sydian: if you've ever got a cat that's aggressive to kids I think you need to send it to a new home. xD

lmao, I don't even have kids, so that's not a problem for me.

Just wanna point out again, I did say it's my last resort, not that'd I'd really want to. There are SO many other options out there that declawing wouldn't even have to be a thought. It's literally last on the list. Chillax.

 

[Gymnotide]

I'm all-in on declawing cats. My friend has three cats in his old apartment and whenever I used to go over there, they would all mountain on top of me and their claws would always dig into my skin / clothes and stuff. It wasn't too big of a deal for me, but it would save them the trouble of getting stuck in cloth-based surfaces as well. And, er, it doesn't hurt if you don't hit the nerve.

Oh, I thought you meant clipping the claws.
Then, the opposite side. XD

 

[donavannj]

One reason cat owners may opt to de-claw their cats is due to the extensive furniture damage they do when marking their territory, since they have scent glands in their front paws, if my memory serves me, and they paw at things with their claws extended like they're stretching out, and anything taller than the cat, especially if it's soft, will be pawed at by a cat to mark it as its territory, and de-clawing a cat is simply a lot cheaper than having to repair furniture. Also, if you have multiple cats, they may fight constantly, which does a fair bit of damage to the cats themselves if they do it while you're away at work or school.

The cats I've grown up with, though de-clawed, are quite resourceful and effective at killing rodents and such, though they were purely indoor cats for the first 7 years of their lives due to not being very adventurous cats and being terrified of the outdoors for reasons I honestly do not remember (the de-clawing came after they had become afraid of the outdoors), well before we ever got a dog, until we forced them out because they were in a turf war involving urine.

And there may be the possibility that some landlords require your cats to be de-clawed in order to have a pet in their building, and many landlords aren't very forgiving about damage to the apartment at all, even small scratches on the walls.

I see de-clawing as far more humane than leaving the cat in a shelter to be put down because potential owners were rejected on the basis that they were going to declaw the cat as soon as they got it.

 

[Oryx]

I don't want it running away like every other outdoor cat I've had. I'm fine with the cat coming outside with me if I'm watching it. But I'm not letting my cat go out unattended, by any means. It's like a kid. Just don't want it getting into things it doesn't need to get into. I've taken my cat outside with me on the back deck for a nice cuddle. So I'm not being cruel and keeping him inside forever.

Just to back up your point, the average life span for outdoor cats is 1-5 years, while the lifespan for indoor cats is 12-20 years (source). It's safer for the cat to keep them indoors, while they may "naturally" be outdoor animals, they are also naturally not fed by humans and naturally not vaccinated, naturally left to die if they get sick and can no longer hunt. All of my cats have been indoor cats, because I care enough to want them to live a long, happy life instead of a 5 year long life "naturally". :x

 

[Mr. X]

I've never had issues with my cat running away from home. He stays outdoors during the night with a couple of dropoff's and spends the majority of the day indoors.

 

[Livewire]

I have no problem with it. We had my cat declawed, because he was A, mischievous and liked to scratch stuff, and B, they're really freakin sharp, seeing as I still have a 4 inch scar on my chest, from a decade ago, from where he jumped off me once. XD

 

[-ty-]

One reason cat owners may opt to de-claw their cats is due to the extensive furniture damage they do when marking their territory, since they have scent glands in their front paws, if my memory serves me, and they paw at things with their claws extended like they're stretching out, and anything taller than the cat, especially if it's soft, will be pawed at by a cat to mark it as its territory, and de-clawing a cat is simply a lot cheaper than having to repair furniture. Also, if you have multiple cats, they may fight constantly, which does a fair bit of damage to the cats themselves if they do it while you're away at work or school.

The cats I've grown up with, though de-clawed, are quite resourceful and effective at killing rodents and such, though they were purely indoor cats for the first 7 years of their lives due to not being very adventurous cats and being terrified of the outdoors for reasons I honestly do not remember (the de-clawing came after they had become afraid of the outdoors), well before we ever got a dog, until we forced them out because they were in a turf war involving urine.

And there may be the possibility that some landlords require your cats to be de-clawed in order to have a pet in their building, and many landlords aren't very forgiving about damage to the apartment at all, even small scratches on the walls.

I see de-clawing as far more humane than leaving the cat in a shelter to be put down because potential owners were rejected on the basis that they were going to declaw the cat as soon as they got it.

I understand the landlord predicament, but I have cats and I have had to pass-up nice apartments, but it is my responsibility as a cat owner.

Here is some info from a veterinarian,
"It is serious surgery. Your cat's claw is not a toenail. It is actually closely adhered to the bone. So closely adhered that to remove the claw, the last bone of your the cat's claw has to be removed. Declawing is actually an amputation of the last joint of your cat's "toes"."

Essentially, it's like amputating a humans fingers to the knuckles! It may be convenient for the owners, but it is disfigurement for the cats. Unfortunately, those that do de-claw their cats, do not understand how important the claw is to the cat's infrastructure.

 

[Livewire]

I understand the landlord predicament, but I have cats and I have had to pass-up nice apartments, but it is my responsibility as a cat owner.

Here is some info from a veterinarian,
"It is serious surgery. Your cat's claw is not a toenail. It is actually closely adhered to the bone. So closely adhered that to remove the claw, the last bone of your the cat's claw has to be removed. Declawing is actually an amputation of the last joint of your cat's "toes"."

Essentially, it's like amputating a humans fingers to the knuckles! It may be convenient for the owners, but it is disfigurement for the cats. Unfortunately, those that do de-claw their cats, do not understand how important the claw is to the cat's infrastructure.

That may be so, but remember we're talking about domesticated cats. It's not like they're hunting for food, which is what claws tend to get used for.

 

[-ty-]

That may be so, but remember we're talking about domesticated cats. It's not like they're hunting for food, which is what claws tend to get used for.

Here's a picture everyone. It just seems wrong to alter an animal's anatomy for convenience; Oh but even worse is when breeders chop off boxer's, and other breeds, tails purely for aesthetic appeal.

Here are some countries whom outlawed declawing cats:

England
Scotland
Wales
Italy
France
Germany
Bosnia
Austria
Switzerland
Norway
Sweden
Netherlands
Northern Ireland
Ireland
Denmark
Finland
Slovenia
Portugal
Belgium
Brazil
Australia
New Zealand
Yugoslavia
Malta
Israel

"General anesthesia is used for this surgery, which always has a certain degree of risk of disability or death associated with it. Because declawing provides no medical benefits to cats, even slight risk can be considered unacceptable. In addition, the recovery from declawing can be painful and lengthy and may involve postoperative complications such as infections, hemorrhage, and nail regrowth. The latter may subject the cat to additional surgery." The Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights (AVAR)

 

[Dawn]

If they are justifying removing their claws because of damage they do to humans, or other animals or whatever, it is a ridiculously flimsy reason... Animals are great at adapting, and if you take away one method of defence, they will simply use their others. Cats have sharp teeth and teeth are going to do more damage than claws in most cases.

On the contrary, my cat shows far more restraint with her teeth. Cats tend to learn that biting hurts real bad as kittens from their kittenmates. With claws, the lesson seems to fly over their head.